You Caught My Optics: Family
by Dragon with a Shotgun
Summary: Finally, the wait is over. Two healthy sparklings are born and happy with their family and are able to go home. But while the Autobots learn how to take care of the sparklings, the Decepticons have learned about the new arrivals, and now are very curious about their 'seeing' powers. They are thirsty to know their own fate, but what will be of the sparklings and Autobots?
1. Chapter 1

**You Caught My Optics: Family**

By

Dragon with a Shotgun

**Okay, I know that I've been slow lately. Sorry! But hey, I'm back…ish… XD. But anyway, hope you like it. Enjoy!**

**Chapter One**

It was morning in Detroit, and had been a very quiet one without Fernblade around. Optimus had only spoken to her a few times during her stay on Cybertron, and he had been in agony not having her there with him. The Elite Guard seemed determined to get something from her, and he knew that it was pointless. He couldn't speak to her through her mind anymore, and it was driving him nuts. He didn't know why they weren't able to share thoughts, but ever since a few weeks after they had found out that she was going to have sparklings, they couldn't share thoughts.

At that moment, the Autobots were working around the city. They had been repairing a bridge, because they had a high speed chase earlier that morning. Bulkhead had lost traction on the frosted road and hit the side of the railing on the bridge. The railing broke, and he almost fell over. But luckily Ratchet was nearby and had caught him with his magnetic rays.

It had begun to show signs of fall, and now the Autobots had to be careful on the roads as frost started to form and after rains when the water would freeze as black ice. Wrecks were starting to become daily, and the Autobots were always on their toes whenever one was reported. Sometimes they were simply too exhausted to go to some emergency calls, since they had just arrived home from one already. Captain Fanzone told them that, even though he really didn't care whether they came or not, they didn't have to report on a call unless they were called directly by himself.

That bit of news made the Autobot team relieved, and they gladly stayed at home whenever nothing happened. But today, they chose to stick around to help with the bridge. The concrete had busted at the edge, and they had to fill in the broken space to make the bridge smooth again. Jazz and Ratchet had went back to the base, thinking that maybe they would get a message or a call from the Elite Guard or Fernblade. So Optimus, Bumblebee, Prowl, and Bulkhead were left to finish the bridge themselves.

"AH! Bumblebee, stop!"

The yellow mech laughed hysterically when he peeked around the side of the cement truck. Prowl was standing near the pipe that poured the cement covered in the grey mud-like liquid. Bulkhead was staring wide-eyed at Prowl before he too started laughing. Prowl glared at both of them, grumbling as he tried to wipe the cement off before it had a chance to get into his inner systems and under his armor. He then shivered oddly at the gooey feeling as the liquid quickly started to seep into his back armor and onto his covered protoform. He then shook his body, splattering some cement on Bumblebee.

"Hey!" Bumblebee cried as he rose his hands up to protect his optics.

Prowl scowled at him. "When I told you to be easy with the cement, I meant to gently lower the pipe to the ground, not to just dump it!"

The younger mech rolled his optics, folding his arms over his chest as he looked away. "It wasn't my fault that you were standing in front of the pipe…"

"I wasn't! You dumped it so abruptly that it turned and poured on me!" Prowl snapped at him, anger radiating off of him so fiercely that some of the cement dripped off of him. He still felt grossed out at the feeling of the wet, sticky, gooey cement sliding down his body and his protoform. It felt so… disgusting.

Bumblebee was about to shout back at him.

"Guys, can we get back to fixing this bridge? We don't have time to stand here and argue." Bulkhead butted in quickly, wanting to make the shouting stop.

The ninja-bot and the yellow mech glared at each other before quickly getting back to work. Prowl lowered the pipe this time, gently letting it hang a few inches from the ground. Bumblebee gave the orders to the truck driver, who followed the commands and put the cement level on low, so that the cement didn't just start pouring out of the pipe. Prowl shuddered again, and when the cement stopped, he suddenly cried out when cold water hit him from behind.

He turned around and saw a fire truck parked next to Optimus, who was speaking with the fireman in the vehicle as another pointed the large hose at the ninja-bot. Prowl sighed, not exactly happy with the water hitting him, but glad that the cement was washing out of his body and joints. The Prime smiled knowingly while Prowl wasn't looking and nodded at the firemen. They sprayed Prowl for another few minutes, getting any missed drying cement that was stuck under his arms, in his sides, and behind his knees. Then once they were done, they rolled the hose back into the fire truck and got inside. They drove off, leaving the Autobots to finish the work.

"Thanks…" Prowl muttered as quietly as he could as Optimus walked by. He didn't want the others to hear, but he was so relieved to not have the mud-like liquid seeping into his body.

The Prime smiled, and nodded in reply. Prowl went back to guiding the pipe and after some time, the hole was finished. Some men came by to replace the railing, since it was too small for the Autobots to take care of.

"Alright, Autobots, let's get back to the base." Optimus sighed, transforming already.

The others nodded in agreement and relief, and transformed before following him down the highway. They all were glad to be getting back to the base. But they all knew that it was going to another quiet noon at home. Without Fernblade there, it had been too quiet. They didn't know what to talk about, and Optimus was usually distracted by his thoughts.

When they got to the warehouse, they found Jazz snoring quietly on the sofa and Ratchet on the computer system searching through a few files boringly

Optimus gave ratchet a hopeful glance, but received a head shake and silence. He sighed. Prowl retreated to his room to pick out any missed cement that had been exposed when he transformed. Bulkhead sat at his painting set, hoping that maybe he would think of something to paint or draw, but with no luck.

The young Prime caught Bumblebee from the corner of his eye, and glanced curiously at the yellow mech as he crept behind the couch, a mischievous smile spread over his face like the Cheshire cat. Bumblebee then rose his face up over the back of the couch, peeking down at the recharging Jazz with bright optics. He could hear some kind of music from one of the tablets and a pair of ear plugs that had fallen on the floor. Jazz must have been listening to music before he fell out on the couch.

Then he crouched behind the couch again, seeing the white mech turned over in his sleep. Then Bumblebee jumped up, his arms over his head.

"BOO!"

Jazz yelped, falling off the side of the couch with a hard and sharp thud. Bumblebee burst out laughing, falling forward and leaning over the back of the couch. Jazz sat up, rubbing the side of his head before glaring at the yellow bot laughing his aft off on the back of the sofa. Suddenly he took out his nunchaku, and gave them a good swing.

Bumblebee grunted, and grimaced when he put his hand on his head where the nunchaku had hit the top of his head. He frowned at Jazz.

"Jeez, what'd you do that for?" he asked, looking at his hand again.

"Well, someone needed to knock some sense into that head of yours." Jazz replied flatly while he got to his feet, brushing himself off.

Bumblebee huffed, and plopped down onto the couch, snatching the remote and turning on the TV. He then started flipping through the channels. Jazz rolled his optics and sat back down on the sofa beside his yellow friend.

Optimus smiled at them while they watched the channels change over and over again. He missed days like these, even if they could be annoying at times. They added something to the day to talk about and think about. Suddenly ratchet called.

"Prime, we just received a message from the Elite Guard!"

The Prime rushed to the medic's side. "What does it say?"

Ratchet pressed a few keys, and pulled up a page on the screen with an Elite Guard icon. He then read the message aloud as the others began to gather around. Prowl had appeared beside Optimus and the others had surrounded them.

"Attention Autobot team, we have important news about Fernblade. She hadn't been able to predict much Decepticon activity, but the visions have ended because…" the medic trailed off.

Optimus frowned. "Because of what?"

Ratchet was silent for a moment, and then turned slowly toward the group. "Because she has gone into labor, and has had the sparklings!"

Optimus's spark suddenly stopped. She's had the sparklings? Just recently? But she was early! How could she have the sparklings so soon? His head began to feel dizzy and his legs almost gave out. Jazz slipped his shoulder under one of the Prime's arms to support him. Prowl did the same on his other side.

The only thing the Prime could get out was, "T-they… she's… but…"

The team led Optimus to the sofa, setting him down gently just before his legs fell out from under him and he plopped onto the couch. He sat there dazed and shocked. He couldn't speak at that second, not able to find his voice. His optics dimmed, brightened, and dimmed again as he fought to come back to reality. He couldn't believe that he was a father… right at that minute, he was a father of twins.

That one thought bounced around in his processer while he sat there trying to put the puzzle together. He wondered if he was dreaming, and that Fernblade was still the Elite Guard being used for whatever reasons. But… hearing this news… he wondered if he was even _alive _at that moment.

Ratchet had already gone back to the computer and was reading the rest of the message.

"…And you are now allowed to come and see Fernblade and as soon as we are certain that the sparlings are healthy, she can accompany you home. Thank you."

"W-we can go see her? And she can c-come home?" Optimus asked quietly.

Ratchet smiled and nodded at the young Prime. Optimus nodded, and dropped his head back on the back of the sofa. Prowl put a hand on his shoulder, smiling proudly at his friend. Optimus weakly smiled back. Prowl was like his brother, and it gave him a bit of confidence that this was all real. Feeling like he had a decent grip on life, he sat up straighter.

"Well, then we need to get back the Cybertron." He said. His voice slightly croaked at the end, and caused the others to laugh. But the rest of the team nodded in agreement.

So the team got the bridge ready. Sari said that she would watch over the base while they were gone. She had arrived some time after they got the news about Fernblade. And she freaked. She went nuts and asked if she could come, but the Autobots told her that Fernblade would be coming home anyway, so she would be able to see them when she got home. The whole team was excited. They couldn't wait to see Fernblade, and the sparklings.

Fernblade smiled at the knocking on the door as she sat in her berth.

"Come in, Shooter."

The door opened with a _swish_ and Sharpshooter stepped inside the doorway wearing a bright smile.

"How'd you know it was me?" he asked as the door closed behind him and he started walking forward.

She smiled, repositioning herself. "You came to my room five times already. I kinda had a hunch."

The young black and white mech chuckled as he sat in the seat beside the berth. He had indeed visited her more than enough times that morning, but he for some reason couldn't leave her alone. When he had seen her in such pain the day before, he couldn't bear the thought her being hurt. So that morning he had visited her almost every hour to make sure she was alright. But, it didn't bother her at least. She was more than happy to have him around for company. But, he wasn't the only one keeping her company at that moment.

She scooted back to sit up straighter, and as she did, a little face was revealed under the blanket that spread over her. The sparkling yawned, keeping his optics tightly shut as the light poured on his tiny face. He then turned over in her lap. The sparkling would fit in his hand probably, and was just starting to form his soft armor.

Sparklings, when first transported to their protoforms, start to form their armor immediately after the transplant. The armor was soft at first, and would be for a least a few days. A sparkling's growth was faster than an adult Cybertronian's because when in this stage, a sparkling's body is very vulnerable, and in word to provide self-protection, the body rushes itself to form its armor. In this case, the sparklings were quite early, so their bodies were faster at forming their armor.

The one that's face was revealed had blue armor and red armor. Its chest and shoulders were light blue and the rest of his body was very red, lighter than Optimus's armor. It physically took almost the same image as his father, Optimus Prime. The only difference was that the sparkling was ten times the size of Optimus and the colors were switched.

Fernblade gently lifted the blanket to check the other sparkling. Ratchet had mistaken the little one to be a male, but when born, it was actually a little girl. She looked a lot like Fernblade, but she was a light blue color, the same blue as her brother. Besides the red on the boy, they were practically twins. The little boy was bulkier, and had the built of a four-wheeled vehicle. The girl was thinner, and had a two-wheeled vehicle build. Of course they wouldn't be able to transform and drive just yet. They would in time when they formed their wheels. Some Cybertronian sparklings accidently transformed without knowing how. That would be the stage when they would be harder to handle.

Sharpshooter smiled warmly at the younger sparkling. It barely opened its optics, but immediately shut them again, letting out a whimper. Smiling softly, Fernblade covered them back so that the light didn't upset them.

"They're sweet." He said, his optics shining as he looked up at Fernblade's proud smile.

She nodded, looking down at her lap. "Yes, they are."

Sharpshooter smiled brightly, and he leaned back. He wondered what his future would be like, with his own sparkmate and sparklings. The thought was blurry, and he couldn't quite imagine it. But, that would be a long time before any of that happened. Right now, he was glad to be with Fernblade, who was content with watching over the twins.

Fernblade then looked up, her optics shining. "What are you thinking of?"

He blinked for a second, and then shrugged. "Just about my future. I wonder if I'll be a good father someday…"

She smiled at him calmly. "Of course you will." When he met her gaze curiously, she continued. "Yesterday, I knew that you were on your way to something important. I heard Sentinel when you left the room. You had a very important meeting to attend to, but when I had called, you knew that aiding me was more important than something that could be arranged later. You chose to save a life. If you hadn't have come see me first, then I might have… died trying to have the sparklings right here."

Sharpshooter looked down at the floor in thought, and wondered if she really would have died if he hadn't chose to see what was wrong. If she had died, then he would have had to live with the guilt for the rest of his life. But she didn't. He chose that her health was more important than Sentinel Prime's meeting, and because of that, she is alive now. That one thought hit him, and he felt proud that he had saved her and her two tiny sparklings.

Suddenly he felt her hand touch his. He saw her smiling at him kindly, and he felt his spark become warm.

"Thank you, Sharpshooter." She said, blinking slowly.

He stared at her for a long moment, not knowing what to say at that moment. Then he smiled.

"It's what friends do, right?" he replied quietly, shifting his hand in hers. Then he moved his hand to his knee.

She sighed, and looked back down at her lap. One of the sparklings' hands had reached out from under the blanket and gently grasped her finger. She smiled warmly and carefully closed her hand around it. After a moment of silence, her optics looked distant.

"If only Optimus could see them…" she muttered quietly.

Sharpshooter didn't know what to say to her at that moment. He didn't know how to comfort her about this subject. But he smiled sympathetically. Then there was soft knock at the door. He sighed, and slowly stood up before he strolled to the door. He looked at the tiny screen that popped up at the keys. Suddenly a small smile spread over his face.

"Well, I think he's about to see them right now, Fern." He said over his shoulder.

She raised her gaze and looked at him questioningly. Then he opened the door. He kept it crack to where that she couldn't see who was at the door. He whispered to the person outside, and nodded. Then he opened the door. Fernblade's spark began to throb at the sight of the mech at the door.

"O-Optimus?" she whispered.

He smiled, his features looking as if they lit up. He nodded meekly before he took long steps toward her berth. She almost let out a sob when he got to her, and wrapped her arms around his neck when he knelt down. He cupped his hands on her cheeks, gazing into her optics as if he couldn't believe that she was right there. She kissed him on the lips, and smiled, joy mingling in her optics. She was almost afraid that he'd vanish, and that she'd just been sitting there imagining it all happening. But it fell way too real to be imagined.

Optimus sighed happily, and then felt something move at his hand that he had rested on her leg. He dropped his gaze, and his optics widened.

She smiled. "They've been waiting to see their daddy."

He watched as she pulled back the blanket to show him the two sparklings. His spark felt as if it dropped to his feet and was replaced by butterflies, and his processer went fuzzy. He couldn't believe that they were his. The little red and blue one almost looked exactly like him, except the color switch. He watched as the sparklings began to stir, having feeling the cool air surrounding them. The first to open his optics was the younger girl. She blinked slowly, barely letting light into her optics before she blinked them rapidly. She then looked up and at Optimus, who was in awe at the sight of her looking at him.

"But… Ratchet said that they were both boys?"

Fernblade smiled calmly. "It must have been too early to tell."

The Prime felt Fernblade hand the sparklings to him, both able to fit in his arms put together. They didn't make as little as a whimper when he held them, instead, they gazed up at him with big, bright, curious optics. They looked almost bug-eyed. He sat down in the chair and gazed down at the sparklings in his arms with Fernblade leaning over and putting a hand on his shoulder.

Sharpshooter gazed silently at the sparkmates as they whispered to each other and being happy as they spoke about their sparklings. He smiled one last time before stepping out of the door as quietly as he could in word not to interrupt them. But before he got all the way out, someone called his name.

"Sharpshooter?"

He froze for a second, and turned his head to see the Prime looking over at him. Sharpshooter straightened and nodded.

"Yes, sir?" he replied to the Prime.

Optimus smiled at Fernblade, gently laying the sparklings in her lap before standing up. He turned toward Sharpshooter and walked up to him. The younger mech had to lean back a bit to look him in the optics, so he took a step back before looking the Prime in the optics.

"You were the one that had been watching Fernblade since she arrived?"

"Yes, sir, I have." He responded.

Optimus nodded, and held a hand out. "I want to thank you. When we arrived, Ultra Magnus explained how you treated her, and went to her whenever she had a problem. You are a good mech to do something like that."

Sharpshooter smiled calmly. "Um… thanks, I think." He really didn't know what to say to him. All his life he had been scolded for many things, especially by a certain Prime that lived on Cybertron. Having another Prime speak to him like this sent him into shock, and he couldn't think of anything to say. So, he cleared his throat, and nodded.

"I'll go get your friends." he said before turning and walking out the door.

Fernblade watched him as he went, and smiled at Optimus when he turned to her.

"He has had a hard time lately. He's not used to being phrased." She stated as he sat back down in the chair.

_Peep!_

The sparkmates looked down at the little blue girl sparkling. She was squirming in Fernblade's lap before Optimus gently slid his hands under her and held her to his chest. She settled happily, and blinked up at him. His spark almost melted. He couldn't believe that the sparklings were there. He couldn't believe that he was their father. Primus, he didn't know what to believe anymore! He was just too overjoyed.

Suddenly, a little energon tear started to slip down his cheek.

Fernblade grew worried, and put a hand on his arm. He looked up at her with a proud smile that said that he couldn't be any more overjoyed at that moment. She smiled back at him, and held the little boy sparkling that had fallen back asleep in her arms.

There was another knocking at the door, and the rest of the team from Earth were at the doorway. Fernblade smiled with happiness.

"Hey, guys!" she said quietly, not wanting to disturb the sparkling in her lap.

They all smiled back, and waved. Prowl, feeling odd standing at the doorway, stepped inside the room, followed by the others. Fernblade and Optimus smiled over at them as the door closed behind them.

"Come on it, why don't ya?" she giggled sarcastically.

Prowl smiled at her, and she motioned to come over. Optimus tried to pry the little girl off of him, but she wouldn't let go of his chest. He chuckled, and let Fernblade gently separate her from him. After Optimus moved to the end of the berth so he could be close to her, Prowl stepped quietly to her side.

"Hey, bro, how's it been?" she greeted quietly.

"Too quiet at home without you." He replied, giving her a hug.

She smiled when they parted, and he looked down at the sparklings who lied in her lap. The boy had woken up, and was peering up at him with a stunned expression. The girl was smiling at him for no particular reason. He chuckled, and lowered his hand toward them. The girl immediately grasped his fingers, but the little boy was hesitant and touched his hand as if testing it. When Prowl wiggled it into his stomach, the boy giggled, and hugged his hand.

"Oh yeah," Prowl chuckled amusingly, "They're just like you."

Fernblade giggled, and rolled her optics. He slipped his hand from the sparklings and walked to the end of the berth. Bumblebee and Bulkhead were next, and the sparklings were really bug-eyed at Bumblebee's bright yellow armor and Bulkhead's large size. But they took on to them immediately. When Ratchet bent down to see them, they stared at him as if they were not amused. But, to anybody, that wasn't very surprising. Either way, even if he had mistaken one to be a male before, he loved them.

While the others were speaking to Fernblade, Prowl turned his attention to Optimus.

"It's good to have her back." He said absently.

Optimus nodded. "Yes, it really is."

"Have you two thought of names yet?" Prowl asked.

The Prime shook his head. "Not yet. We'll worry about that when we get home."

The ninja-bot nodded, and then frowned as he fell into silence. Optimus looked at him with curiosity of why he had suddenly become so quiet.

"What is wrong?"

Prowl was silent for a minute before speaking. "You know those visions she'd been having?" When Optimus nodded, he continued. "It's odd that they suddenly went away."

"I'm sure they were just a passing side effect from the carrying of the sparklings." Optimus assured.

"No," Prowl shook his head. "I know that they were able to see the past and future. I just wasn't completely sure. I'm afraid of that one vision she had that time when Ratchet had shut her down. That was the main one that frightened her. I'm worried about that particular one."

Optimus thought for a long moment. If his sparklings could see the past and future like he had said, then could have that vision been true? The thought of all of that happening made him sick feeling. He remembered how Fernblade had been screaming when she had that nightmare. It was horrific, and had torn into his very spark.

"I don't know, Prowl. I guess we'll have to see. She suddenly quit having the visions some time during her stay with the Elite Guard, which was unexpected."

Prowl nodded in agreement. Optimus gazed at his sparkmate as she giggled as the little blue girl sparkling was clinging to Bumblebee's hand while the yellow mech was trying to desperately to get her off without hurting her. The sight warmed the Prime's spark, and made him feel much more relaxed.

If something was really going to happen, then he vowed to protect his family at all costs. If one Decepticon lays a hand on her, he would get a taste of what an angered Prime could really do. But until something actually happens, he would relax, and be happy for having his sparkmate and sparklings alive.

Prowl had gone to see his niece and nephew while Optimus was lost in his thoughts, and was now chuckling as he tickled the little boy sparkling. Optimus smiled warmly at his team and family. He was happy now. He was relieved that Fernblade was alright, and also his sparklings. He was relieved that they would all get to go home now. This time with new members of the family.

So the Prime smiled, and took in the scenes that played through the moment with his family. And imagined how life would be, with his bigger family.


	2. Chapter 2

**You Caught My Optics: Family**

By

Dragon with a Shotgun

**I'm soo sorry that I'm slow! Hope you enjoy this though!**

**Chapter Two**

_Peep! Peep! Chirp! Chirp!_

Fernblade gazed at Prowl amusingly. He was holding the little boy sparkling in his arms while it squeaked and chirped at him as if wriggled in his grip. He was having a little trouble holding him still, but she could see the happiness hidden in her brother's shades.

"Well, Prime. I believe I owe you an apology."

She looked back at Ultra Magnus, who was standing in front of her sparkmate with a dreading expression. She felt her little daughter shift in her arms, and smiled down at her warmly. She was grateful that although she and her brother were very early, they were happy and healthy.

Optimus shook his head. "It… was for important reason, Ultra Magnus. I am for one not to argue with your decision, however… displeasing as it may be. I am just happy that Fernblade is alright." He glanced at her with a calm smile before continuing. "And also my children."

Fernblade smiled happily back at him before he turned his head back to Ultra Magnus. The larger blue and silver mech nodded in understanding.

"I see. Well, I suppose you will be leaving now. Congratulations, Fernblade. You have beautiful sparklings. I hope you can also forgive my intentions. "

The green femme nodded. "Thank you, Ultra Magnus. I understand that you did it for a important reason. I forgive you."

Ultra Magnus raised a hand before a bridge opened up behind the Autobot team. They glanced back at it as its blue swirling light glowed off of their armor. Suddenly the sparklings both started to giggle nonstop at its multiple colors of blue. The Autobots all chuckled amusingly with them as their optics lit up at the light. Then Fernblade turned to the line of guards that stood side by side in a long line behind Ultra Magnus. She smiled at the black and white young mech that stood toward the front.

She turned around and surprised Prowl by placing her little girl in his arms along with the boy. His shades widened as she smiled at him and turned around. She could hear the sparklings giggling at each other as they squirmed in his arms.

She walked forward and brushed past Sentinel. She could've sworn that she felt tension radiating off of him. She also felt his optics barely glance at her before shifting away. But there was something in them, though. Jealousy, maybe? Regret? She wasn't quite sure. But she did see guilt. Before she got too far from him, she lightly brushed his arm with her hand. She saw him barely turned his head to look at her before looking away quickly.

She approached the line of guards, and looked the young mech in the optics. Sharpshooter lightly shifted his optics to look at her, and then took a deep breath.

"Sir, permission to speak freely, sir!" he called out loud. Sentinel nodded without looking back. Sharpshooter then relaxed, and smiled calmly at Fernblade.

"Sorry 'bout that…" he said quietly to her.

She smiled and shook her head. "It's fine. I've seen it before."

He huffed lightly, looking away before a sad glint shown in his optics. Fernblade spotted this, and sighed deeply.

"I'm gonna miss you, Shooter. I really am." She said sadly, and looked down at her feet. She had really grown on him since they met, and he'd become a good friend. He took care of her, and he was always at her side. He was like a younger brother almost, but not quite. He was sweet and caring, and had a good spark. She really was going to miss the kid.

He let his optic fall on her again, and a small affectionate smile spread slightly on his face.

"I'm going to miss you too…" He then paused for a slight moment, and then spoke again. "But I have a feeling that… maybe we might come across each other sooner than we think."

She looked up again, and smiled. "I hope so."

With that, she hesitantly wrapped her arms around his neck. They were around the same height, so she didn't have to reach so far up to hug him. He froze for a moment, letting his optics search Optimus Prime's face. The Prime nodded, so the young mech warily wrapped his arms around her shoulders, not wanting to accidently put them any lower. He felt a new feeling warm his body. It was a feeling of affection, but there was also another feeling. Dread, mixed with guilt. The feelings mixed together began to overwhelm him, so he reluctantly parted their hug.

'I… um… I guess you have to go home now."

She sighed. "Yeah, well… thank you."

He smiled halfheartedly, the other half filled with sorrow. Then his face grew hot, and his cheeks grew a little purple when she gently gave him a kiss on the cheek. His optics widened, and he coughed quietly before nodding.

"Um… farewell…Fernblade… take care." After giving her a little solute, he then straightened and posed just like the other guards in the line with his back straight and his optics looking forward.

Fernblade nodded, and gave him a cute little solute before turning away and walked back to her family. As she left, a tiny, almost invisible blue tear began to slowly make its way down his cheek. He forced himself to keep quiet as a tight knot began to form in the back of his throat.

When the mother approached her team and family, she noticed that her sparklings had fallen asleep in Prowl's arms. He smiled sheepishly back as she cocked an amused optic at him. Then she turned, and saw Optimus walking toward them. When he reached them, he gently placed a hand on her back.

"Alright," he spoke softly, "let's go home."

Fernblade smiled at him, and walked beside Prowl with Optimus and the others right behind them. As they disappeared into the swirling blue portal, Sharpshooter clenched his optics shut.

"I'm so sorry…" he whispered silently.

One moment they were on Cybertron, the next they were back on Earth at the warehouse. Fernblade smiled at the memory when she had first come to the warehouse. She thought that it had looked so beaten and broken down on the outside. But now, it looked more like home than anywhere else. She was happy to be home.

She heard a little chirp, and turned around to see her son, with his optics wide, looking around at his surroundings. His sister, too, was awake and peering at the new world with wonder and curiosity. They looked so cute, with their light blue optics wide and curiosity written all over their faces.

"Hey, guys!"

The team turned their attention to the teenage techno-organic as she ran toward them. Fernblade knelt down as Sari jumped into her arms, sobbing and talking really fast. Fernblade smiled and hugged her back.

"Fern, I've missed you so much! It's been too quiet without you here at home and I've had to look after the boys while you were gone, and then I heard that you were having the sparklings, and… OH MY GOSH! Where are they? Are they okay?"

The femme quickly put a finger on Sari's mouth, taking a deep breath.

"Sari, I've missed you too. And the sparklings are fine. A boy and a girl."

Sari blinked, staring at her in confusion before speaking again. "But I thought that they were both boys?"

Optimus then cleared his throat loudly. "Well, let's get inside so that she can see them."

The teenager shrieked with joy and quickly turned around. She then sprinted back to the base. Bumblebee laughed, and strolled on forward after his friend with Bulkhead and Jazz not far behind him. Prowl hesitated to leave Fernblade's side. He faltered with his feet as he stood beside her. She giggled and gently took the girl sparkling out of his arms, knowing that he was afraid to move much with both of them in his arms. Once she held the girl, he relaxed and began to walk beside her.

Once they were inside, they found the others surrounding the couch, all of them tired from their experience on Cybertron. All but Sari that is. She was sitting with a big smile on the couch. Fernblade smiled, and sat down beside her as slowly as she could. She then rested the sparkling in her lap while Prowl handed the little boy sparkling to Optimus, wary to let him go. Then he sat down next to sari on the other side of the couch.

Sari's eyes widened when she looked at the sparklings as Optimus slide closer to Fernblade. They were a little bit smaller than her, and they looked at her with even more curiosity. She suddenly squealed, which made them freeze in shock.

"They are so CUTE! Oh my gosh! Have you picked out names?"

Fernblade and Optimus looked at each other for a moment, and then then shook their heads.

"Uh… no, we haven't, actually." Optimus replied.

Sari frowned. "Really? But why?"

"Well," Fernblade spoke, "we just haven't really thought about it, yet. We're still working on it."

The teenager smiled, nodding in understanding. She then patted the little boy sparkling's head and then the little girl's. Fernblade smiled at her as she talked to the sparklings. They seemed so intrigued in Sari, being so different. But then again, they were just babies. They didn't have a clue of the world, being only a day or two old. But they were so alert, so focused on everything that happened around them.

She then felt Optimus lean his head against her shoulder. Feeling the warmth, she leaned onto his head. She wrapped one arm around his head, hugging it as he leaned into her. She saw his arm cured around her lap to keep the sparklings from rolling off and falling onto the ground. Every now and then he'd poke them to get their attention, and then watch as they giggled and rolled. He chuckled at them. His voice sounded so deep, calm, normal, familiar. It sounded so nice in her audios, and made her really feel at home.

On Optimus's part, he was overjoyed to have his sparkmate back home. But more than that, he was now a father. A father! This was so new, so… confusing. He wasn't quite sure what to think. It was too overwhelming. But the feeling was… good. He was very proud. His chest swelled with happiness and pride as he gazed down at his younglings.

"Are you alright?"

He blinked rapidly, turning his head slowly to look his sparkmate in the optics.

"Huh? Oh, yes, I am fine."

"You sure?" she asked. "You look like you're bothered by something."

He sat up abruptly, giving her a wondering expression. But a handsome smile still spread over his face. "It's actually the complete opposite."

Fernblade cocked an optic. "Oh? And what is the 'complete opposite?"

"Well, I am too… overwhelmed by the fact that I'm a father now. But… that doesn't bother me at all. It makes me even happier to be alive, and _feel _even more alive. If that makes any sense…"

His optics widened in surprise when she leaned over and kissed him on the lips. And then he smiled when she leaned back again, a lingering look in his optics. He'd been waiting to see her again in person for so long. Those little moments when he had spoken to her through video just weren't enough to put his spark at ease. He missed those times where she'd pick on him about things, but before he could get upset, she'd pull off that cute smile that always got to his spark. Good Primus he had really missed her…

She smiled back at him. "I understand, Chief."

He chuckled, and looked over on the other end of the couch. Prowl, as hard as he had tried not to, had fallen into recharge with his head resting on his hand with his elbow propped up on the arm of the sofa. If quiet enough, a small snore could be heard. Fernblade giggled quietly, for the others all were also asleep. Bumblebee was lying over Jazz's abdomen with Jazz snoring quite loudly with his arms crossed behind his head. Ratchet was at the counter, and was leaning over with his head resting on his arms. Bulkhead was lying near Jazz and Bumblebee on his back, snoring twice as loud as the two bots. Sari was still awake though, watching as the sparklings had begun to show signs of sleepiness. The little girl let out a large yawn, her little mouth opening wide before clenching her optics shut. Her brother did the same after, and Fernblade sighed.

"Bedtime." She said, looking at Sari.

She smiled back, and nodded. "Okay, I gotta get back to my place anyway. They are so cute."

The green femme smiled as the teenager slid off of the couch before walking out the door. A short silence followed, and the only thing heard was the snoring of the other bots. Finally Optimus chuckled and sat up more.

"Alright, let's get them to our room." He declared with a whisper. He reached toward her lap and gently let his hands slide under the little girl sparkling. She whimpered in her sleep and turned over in his hands.

Fernblade smiled proudly at him as he held the sparkling close to his chest. She was so glad that he knew how to handle the sparklings. At first she was afraid that he would not be sure of himself, but it seemed that he was very capable of taking care of them. So, she sighed and sat up with her son in her arms. They left the rest of the team in the living room as they recharged.

Once they got to their bedroom, the sparkmates carefully placed the sparklings in the cradle that had been made before they were born. They covered them up with the small blanket that had been given to them by Sari, which was blue on one side, and pink on the other with stripes and spots. After the sparklings had been covered and tucked in, Fernblade sighed as she leaned over the cradle's rail. The sight of her sparklings lying there, happily recharging, made her have butterflies, and it was such a sweet picture.

Suddenly Optimus placed a hand on her shoulder. Upon feeling the soft, gentle touch, she turned around and saw the pure joy in his optics. She smiled calmly, and leaned into his chest, hugging him. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders and back. Him being so much bigger than her, it was more of a big bear hug. Oh how she missed these moments! They were the times that made her feel at home, feel safe, feel important. She felt the warmness surrounding her, and sighed happily.

Optimus, thinking that she was upset, parted the hug and looked down at her with soft, but concerned optics.

"Are you alright?"

_De'ja vu much? _she thought amusingly, remembering the moment just a minute ago on the sofa.

She smiled at him, nodding her head. "Of course, I'm absolutely fine."

He cocked an optic at her in a comical fashion while the side of his lips curved. Primus she loved that smile… She had to resist jumping on him and kissing him to death. That smile was used whenever he made a joke about her, or the other way around, and one of them made a point that the other couldn't make a comeback to. It was one of his best smiles, in her opinion.

She rolled her optics, looking away distractedly. Then she burst into quiet giggles when he began to kiss her on the neck and audio rapidly and playfully. It tickling her and also him finding it amusing, she squirmed and tried to suppress her giggles. He was about to do it again before she quickly put a finger on his mouth and watched a curious expression spread over his features.

"Remember, we're not the only ones in the room anymore, Loverboy." She pointed to the cradle behind her. "You know it'd be bad to have the sparklings catch us in the act."

His optics widened and he leaned back, raising a fist to his mouth and clearing his throat. He peeked at her with a playful smile.

She groaned and, not able to contain herself any longer, surprised him by jumping on him. He chuckled when they almost fell backwards. She smothered him in quick, tiny, soft kisses. He began to laugh quietly in sheer happiness. This went on for a few minutes before she finally parted from him, but still clung to him with him holding her.

She took a few raspy breathes before she spoke. "Primus… I've missed you…"

He grinned back at her. "I've missed you too."

It was dark in the room, almost pitch black. But light from the computers made it possible to see various shapes in the room, such as the base of the computers themselves and the tiles on the floor and walls. The room was cold and eerie, sending shivers up his back and neck as he tried to walk straight. But this was proving heard to do since he could hardly see where he was going. But his red optics helped him see where his feet were and was able to not trip over anything. But he had made this walk before, and knew where to place them. The light reflecting off of his dark grey armor helped to make some light in front of him as well.

Before he got far into the room, a pair of red optics opened, and lowered to gaze at him as he approached.

"Ah, I see you have returned." came a deep voice that echoed creepily through the room.

He gulped lightly and nodded. The red optics sharpened to penetrate through the darkness to see the smaller figure that stood in front of him.

"Did you succeed with your mission?"

"Yes, sir. I did. Neither the Elite Guard nor Optimus Prime's team suspect a thing." came back the small voice.

The optics blinked slowly, and the owner of them stood up slowly. The bot that stood in front of him flinched when he stepped down off of the steps, fear and dread written all over his face.

"What is bothering you, my boy? Did something happen during your mission?" Megatron's voice rang out again, a little sharper than before.

The younger mech cringed at the question, his red optics darting from place to place to look for an answer. He thought quickly and shook his head.

"No, my lord, I am just overwhelmed that I have done my job well. But, are you sure that they won't find out about us?"

Megaton cocked an optic at him, frowning at the younger bot. "Did you leave any trace of the plan?"

The bot's optics widened. Did he? He had taken everything that he had used on the Elite Guard ship without anyone noticing. He did his job quickly and quietly. He didn't know why he was feeling this way. This was what he wanted. This is what promised him a good prophet and future. A better life. He would be a tyrant alongside Megatron and rule over the Autobots and Elite Guard. But… why was he feeling so guilty about it? He wanted this more than anything, right?

Megatron's arm suddenly wrapped around his shoulders, easily reaching the other side.

"Young one, I promised you many things. This is just the first step to that promise."

He looked up, cocking an optic curiously. "Yeah?"

An evil grin spread over the tyrant's face as he grasped the young bot's arm. "Yes, child! I promised you a better future. I promised you that I'd make you invincible."

Those words rang in his head, and made a small frown creep onto his face. "It sounds very tempting, my lord." He then raised his gaze to meet his master's. "But what if you don't keep your promises? What if you-,"

"What? What if I what? A promise is a promise, right? You are a very loyal servant to me, and that is very hard to find these days. I assure you, boy. I will keep my promises." He paused for a long moment to carefully play his words. He then placed a hand on the younger bot's chest.

"But in word to let me bring your future into full bloom, you must keep yours as well. You still have to bring me the child."

"The child?" the younger Decepticon repeated curiously, looking down at the hand on his chest that gently traced the Decepticon insignia.

Megatron nodded. "The child is the only one who can see our fate. We must get into that head of his, and pull our future out!"

"But… didn't the device you give me keep him from-,"

"Seeing the future? No. It only kept him from letting the femme from seeing it." Megatron said darkly.

The young mech nodded, and looked down. His optics shifted, making them look like slits almost. Predator like. He then looked up into the tyrant's optics, which looked ten times more deadly. They almost frightened him.

Megatron then leaned forward, and whispered into the young mech's audio.

"Bring me the child, and we shall see your fate as well. We see your fate, and we can change it to where you will rule over the Elite Guard."

His optics turned dark at the words. That was what he wanted to hear. But the thought pierced his spark like a sharp arrow, and made his chest tighten in dread. He didn't want to do this, but he also wanted to. He wanted to see his future, and if something in it went wrong, then he could change it. He could be able to change his FUTURE! But why did that thought hurt him inside?

But, suddenly a dark flame glowed from his optics.

"I'll do it." He responded firmly, not looking his master in the optics.

Megatron's grin softened and he patted the younger Decepticon's back. "Good. Don't fail me, boy. If you come back without the child, you'll face your worst fear."

The young mech nodded, and turned away. He slowly walked through the dark room toward the exit, and reached for the door.

"Remember, time is on the line."

He lowered his gaze to the floor, and then opened the door before disappearing into the light.


	3. Chapter 3

**You Caught My Optics: Family**

By

Dragon with a Shotgun

**Sorry I'm so slow. I've been having a bad month, and with school coming up, having trouble finding the time to work. Please forgive me! I had trouble with coming up with the names for the sparklings, but even though I got some people to make some suggestions (although I would like to thank them for trying to help out :)) I chose to try to come up with my own names. Hope you like them. Enjoy!**

**Chapter Three**

"Alright, I got nothing."

"What do you mean, 'I got nothing'? These are your sparklings we're talking about!"

"I've thought and thought, but I don't know any names, Fern."

Fernblade sighed, rolling her optics. It was the next morning, and the sparkmates had been spending the last thirty minutes in their room trying to figure out names for their sparklings. Optimus made some suggestions, but Fernblade didn't like them very much. But whenever she mentioned some, he'd not like them. They were in a fix. They have asked the others for help, but they weren't much help, not even Prowl.

Optimus dropped his head onto the desk with a small thud. He was tired, and had woken up around 4:00 that morning to the sound of the sparklings' crying. He'd volunteered to keep them happy until they fell back asleep. Fernblade was giving him a hard time, as always. And now thinking of names was making his head hurt.

"Fern, I'm sorry! I'm tired, and don't have my processer straight yet." The Prime spoke, his voice raspy.

Fernblade, having a little pity for him, sighed again and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Sorry, babe, I'm having a hard time, too." She said quietly.

Her sparkmate looked up and smiled lightly. "Its fine, I'm sorry for giving ya a hard time."

She nodded, and rested her chin on her arms on the desk. A few silent minutes went by while the adults were in thought. In the beginning they had thought that making up names would be easy, but actually, it was very hard in their case. Fernblade had considered her parents' and grandparents' names, and even her great grandparents' names, but none of them seemed fitting; Optimus had done the same and also had little luck. The parents were at a 'bump in the road' as the humans called it. And at this point, the sparkmates referred it to a ditch in the road now.

Suddenly, Optimus's optics brightened, but he remained quiet, studying the sparklings in the cradle as they took their almost noon nap. Fernblade noticed that spark in his eye, and stared at him wonderingly. She knew that look anywhere. He had it every time he had an idea or something. Sometimes out of sheer amusement, she'd picture a tiny light bulb appearing above his head.

She tilted her head at him. "Whatcha think of, Chief?"

He didn't look at her immediately, but when he did he had a small smile.

"Eh, just a small suggestion."

Fernblade cocked an optic at him curiously. "Go on…"

He huffed, looking away for a moment. "Well, I thought how they can see into the past and future… and, well, I thought about with our son able to see the future, Accelerate would be a decent name."

She hummed in thought, and nodded for him to go on.

"And with our daughter able to see the past, Reverse." He continued.

"Reverse?" Fernblade repeated curiously.

Optimus nodded meekly, looking her in the optics. "Yes, but not just Reverse… you could put more emphases in the Re part."

Fernblade then smiled. That really wasn't a bad idea! Accelerate and Reverse were good names. And it was most certainly fitting for the situation they were in, and it described the sparklings' abilities. But in her thoughtful silence, Optimus had taken it as a sign that she didn't like them.

"Never mind, I was just suggesting." He said, resting his chin on his arms.

Fernblade quickly shook her head. "No, Optimus, I love them! They're perfect."

He huffed, a small smile forming. Not having the right reaction, she sighed and wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him in a hug. His optics widened for a moment in surprise at the sudden motion. But he then smiled and sat up more to hug her back. Suddenly a giggle interrupted them, and Optimus looked over at the cradle. The now dubbed Reverse was rocking back and forth on her rear while grasping her feet, her optics wide with wonder and a big smile on her face.

Optimus chuckled, and stood up before walking to the cradle. Reverse gazed up at him, but since he was so tall, she tried to lean back to see him better. But while leaning back, she fell back onto her back. The Prime smiled and lowered his hands to pick her up. Then another set of hands rasped his fingers. He saw that Accelerate was now awake as well, full of energy just like his sister. So Optimus sighed, and picked them both up easily in his hands and held them close to his chest.

Fernblade giggled quietly as he held them while they giggled and squealed. He sat back down and chuckled as he played with them. Fernblade could see the sheer happiness in his optics, and knew that he was the proudest father that Primus could ever know. She knew that he would sacrifice anything to keep them safe and happy, and that made her spark hum with joy.

She remembered the day she first met him. They were both in their vehicle modes at that moment while she was being chased by the police. When they had met as Autobots, he was laying on the ground in recharge and she was in the tree watching over him. When he had woken up, he had snapped to many questions. They had been through quite a bit since then, but look where they were now.

Suddenly Reverse looked at her, and stretched out her hands. Fernblade smiled affectionately, and gently took her from Optimus's arm, and securely wrapped her arms around her. Reverse giggled and received a kiss on the forehead.

Fernblade gazed down at her youngling for a long while, hearing Optimus laugh every now and then. Fernblade tried to picture how the twins would be when they got older. Would they be like her and Optimus? Would they be like the Jet Twins, Jetfire and Jetstorm with them being twins? She wouldn't know until they were older. She also wondered how they would handle the teen years. Now she really wanted to see how Optimus would handle them then.

Optimus looked up from Accelerate and tilted his head at Fernblade.

"What are you thinking of?" he asked.

She smiled back at him. "Just how life will be like with them as teenagers."

He suddenly let out a groan. "Hopefully it'll come later than we think."

She laughed at him, rolling her optics before looking down at her daughter. She stared at the giggly little sparkling for a moment. Reverse looked almost exactly like her with blue armor instead of green. She was so young, and didn't know anything but the love and care that her parents and the rest of the Autobots gave her. But she hadn't been home for a long while, and had almost forgotten all the roads in the excitement of the sparklings' arrival. Fernblade looked at her sparkmate with hopeful optics.

"Wanna go for a drive?" she asked,

Optimus smiled, and nodded. "Sure, why not?"

She smiled down at him with warm optics and then, suddenly coming up with an idea, lifted an optic ridge. She looked down at Reverse in her arms with an almost evil smile.

"Hey, wanna go see Uncle Prowl?" she asked.

The Prime chuckled and looked down at Accelerate, who was now waving his arms and gurgling. He knew that Fernblade loved to tease Prowl, and he guessed that letting the ninja-bot take care of the sparklings tore him away from his meditating and actually got him to do something that didn't involve training and peace. But, at least Prowl didn't get mad at Fernblade as easily as with Bumblebee or Bulkhead.

So they parents stood up from their seats and carried the sparklings out of the room as they made their way to Prowl's room. They walked down the hall, and only a few strides took them to the entrance to his room. Fernblade was happy that his room was so close to theirs. Prowl had told her that he and Jazz agreed to still take turned watching over the base while the others were on a call. Jazz had said that he felt that Prowl wanted to do it more, although he didn't say anything about it. Fernblade wasn't too surprised about it.

Fernblade smiled at Optimus.

"You can go on to the door. I'll be there in a minute."

Optimus nodded, and let her pick up Accelerate from his arms. He then turned away and walked down the hall and disappeared around a corner to the living room. Fernblade smiled after him before opening the door. She walked in, and surprisingly the sparklings fell silent.

She looked around, but found her brother hanging from one of the tree's branches. At first she feared that he might have gotten stuck somehow, but then smiled when he opened his optics and looked at her through his shades. He smiled calmly before unhooking his feet on the branch and dropping silently to the floor.

"Hey, bro, what's up?" she asked while walking up to him.

He smiled. "Me a second ago."

She rolled her optics and giggled. Prowl looked at the sparklings in her arms and his optics widened. He knew that she didn't just bring them here to _him _for no reason. She smiled and handed them to him gently.

"I and Optimus are going for a drive. You are going to take care of them while we are gone." She informed as he hesitated of what to do. "Oh, and we have names for them.

Prowl looked at her brightly. "Oh?"

"The boy is Accelerate and the girl is Reverse." She replied, getting the sound of Reverse's name right in the way Optimus had said it.

Prowl smiled at her. "Creative names for them. Actually fitting."

Fernblade cocked an optic at him. "That's exactly what I thought. I hope you aren't able to read minds."

He furrowed his optic ridges while he smiled, giving him a mischievous look. This expression, or many happy expressions weren't a normal thing for him, so it made her happy to know that he had a playful side.

"I might be able to learn the trick if you'd like…" he said playfully.

Fernblade giggled and shook her head. "Nah, I'm good with keeping my thoughts from others, thank you!"

He chuckled and looked down at Accelerate and Reverse. When he looked up to say something to Fernblade, he saw her just disappear out of the room with the door closing behind her. He froze, not knowing what to do. He was more than willing to watch over the sparklings, but… he had no fragging clue of what to do with them! Was he supposed to talk to them? Play with them? Feed them? What was he going to do? Even though it was quite an experience when Optimus had been turned into a sparkling, Prowl still had no way of knowing how to take care of him.

He sat the sparklings on the floor and sat in front of them. He stared at them for a moment before Reverse began to crawl into his lap along with Accelerate. For a few minutes or so after they had gotten settled they just sat there, looking up at him with curious expressions on their tiny faces. He only stared right back, as if it was a staring contest that nobody would win.

The sparklings then began to crawl on him, giggling as they had found a new game of peek-a-boo by poking their heads out on each side of him and giggling when they did it at the same time. They began to try to chase each other, crawling into his lap, out of his lap, under his knees onto his knees. They just wouldn't sit still! He was tempted to grasp them and sit them in one spot and tell them to settle down, but knowing that they were way too young to understand words yet or what was wrong or right, and also thinking that it might be a little cruel, he didn't do anything.

He unexpectedly let out a giggle, feeling tiny hands try to climb up his side. He carefully pried Accelerate's hands off of him and sat him with his sister. They looked at each other, a few emotions flashing on their faces. Prowl blinked, wondering if they were a_ctually _coming up with an idea. Then they smiled and looked back at him with bright, happy faces.

_Oh Primus…_ was the only thought that ran through the ninja-bot's mind before they crawled right back on top of him and started to dig their fingers into his sides.

"H-Hey! Guys, stop!" He began to giggle uncontrollably, and he tried to keep from struggling hard. He carefully grabbed them both and pulled them off of him and sat them down in front of him before clearing his throat.

They looked at each other again, and then began to craw past him. He turned his body to so that he could watch them, but before he could act, he felt something messing around with his back, and rolled his shoulders uncomfortably. Suddenly he felt something pull at his wiring in his rocket boosters. His optics instantly grew wide when his boosters began to spark, and then… bang.

He cried out when the rockets turned on, and sent him from the floor, to the air in spinning motions, and into the tree with a crash. He hit a few branches as he came down, and before he could hit the floor, his foot got caught in the exact same branch that he had gotten stuck in when Fernblade had trapped him.

"Scrap!" He tried to pull up to free his foot from the fork of the branch, but in the way he was twisted around, he couldn't quite reach it. He could hear shrill laughter and squeals coming from below him and he looked down at the sparklings. They were lying on their back, giggling and shrieking with laughter. After he collected his bearing, he glared at them. But… suddenly he couldn't hold a straight face. He let out a chuckle and shook his head before looking back up at his foot.

He tried desperately to get down. He swung back and forth, pulled up, twisted, and even considered turning his boosters back on, but he chose not to. He groaned, and hesitated before raising a hand to turn his com-link on.

Jazz was sitting on his berth in his own room down the hall. He was once again looking through one of his tablets. This one was labeled _Paintjobs for Sports Cars_. One of his favorites of course. He flipped through a few pages, and suddenly a smile formed on his face.

"Whoa! Sweet!" He was looking at a black Camaro with white flames rising from the bottom and along the sides. There were special lights hook to the bottom so that colorful glowing could be seen under the car at night.

"_Jazz?"_

The white mech paused for a moment, and then raised a hand to his audio. "Yeah, Prowler?"

"_Uh… could you come over if you're not too busy?"_

Jazz nodded and placed the tablet on the table beside his berth. "Sure, I'll be there in a minute. What's up?"

There was a small silence on the other end, and Jazz was about to ask again.

"_Just get over here."_

He blinked. If Prowl didn't want to say what was wrong, then it must have been something big. Prowl was one to not to say what kind of situations he was in, especially if it was something embarrassing. He knew that Fernblade and Optimus had left a few minutes earlier, because he had heard them outside his door when they passed through. And he guessed that maybe this time it had something to do with the sparklings.

So, he sighed and stood up from his berth, stretching stiffly before walking to the door and opening it. He stepped into the hall and looked from right to left before strolling down the hall to his friend's room. He opened the door and after he stepped inside and it closed, his optics widened at the scene. He saw Prowl hanging upside down by his foot in the tree with the sparklings on the ground looking up at him laughing.

The sparklings turned their attention to the noise at the door, and their faces lit up instantly. Jazz chuckled and walked forward before kneeling down on one knee and picking them up. He held them in each arm and held them close to his chest as he looked up at his friend, Prowl, in the tree.

"Same thing as last time, huh?" the white bot asked amusingly.

Prowl sighed. "Double-teamed."

Jazz busted out laughing. Never in his life had he ever heard of Prowl being beaten in a double-team attack, especially by sparklings. Prowl frowned down at him and looked away in embarrassment. He felt his face grow hot as Jazz's laughter subsides.

"Haha, sorry, Prowler! I couldn't help it."

The ninja-bot mumbled and, wanting his attention somewhere else, tried to swing back up again in hopes of loosening his foot from the branch. He hated it when Jazz did this to him. It always made him embarrassed and upset that Jazz was laughing at him. This was the second time that he had gotten stuck in a tree, and the second time he'd been sent flying by sparklings pulling on his rocket boosters' wires! This was starting to get really old, very fast.

"Jazz, if you are not too busy down there, could you lend a servo?" Prowl asked in agitation, going limp in exhaustion.

Jazz sighed and put the sparklings a few feet from the tree so that they wouldn't get crushed. He then turned back to the tree and jumped onto the lowest branch beside Prowl's, and then pulled up to the branch Prowl was stuck in. He carefully pried the forked branch open, allowing his friend's foot to slip out from it. Prowl fell to the ground with a hard thud.

Jazz rested an arm on one knee while sitting in the branch. "That better, Prowler?"

Prowl mumbled under his breath before quickly sitting up and glaring at him. "Despite the massive headache that I have and the knowledge that you found that quite amusing, I am absolutely fantastic."

Jazz blinked down at him for a moment before slipping out from the tree. "Whoa, sorry, Prowl. I didn't mean anything by it."

Prowl sighed, and smiled meekly at him. "Sorry, I was just overwhelmed of what happened."

The white bot smiled as Prowl went to pick up the sparklings. He turned back around and smiled at Jazz.

"They are quite a handful."

"Yeah, but cute though. Accelerate and Reverse, right?"

Prowl nodded, but cocked an optic at him. "How'd you know?"

Jazz shrugged and crossed his arms. "Overheard OP and Fern while they walked by my room."

Prowl nodded in understanding. Jazz was always listening to what others were saying. He sometimes used that advice when necessary without anybody telling him to, which made him good with combat. He had a really childish side, and had a habit of taking his fun a little too far. But now, he acted more mature with new sparklings to look after. And also he'd been talking to Fernblade more, and also keeping a close eye on them.

Prowl noticed that there was a new emotion hidden in Jazz's blank expression, and frowned.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

Jazz didn't respond immediately. He was silent for a moment as he stared at the sparklings.

"I for some reason have a bad feeling about something." He finally spoke.

"About what?"

Jazz shook his head unsurely. "I don't know… I just… think that something's gonna happen soon. Don't you feel it?"

Prowl thought for a moment. After a few moments, yes, he did feel it. He felt that deep down in his processer, that something was coming. He didn't know what the feeling was exactly, but it was there, out of the blue. He didn't feel it until Jazz had pointed it out, but now he could feel it.

"You're right…" he said, looking down at the sparklings.

Jazz frowned. "What do you think it is, Prowl?"

He shook his head. "I am not sure."

They stood there for a long moment in silence. Reverse and Accelerate had even quieted down, and were now looking back and forth at the adults as they thought. Did they sense something too? Could they tell that something was going to happen? Prowl noticed that the boy sparkling, Accelerate had a dimness in his optics that looked like dread. But did he know what was going to happen? Did he know that trouble was on its way?

Prowl softened his expression, and sighed. He gave Jazz a calm frown.

"Well, for now, we need to watch over the sparklings." He said.

Jazz nodded, but then a small smile spread over his face. "I'm not gonna leave you here alone this time. Too risky with these two." He rubbed both the sparklings' heads, causing them to giggle.

Prowl smiled, and shook his head amusingly as he sat down with Jazz right beside him. The sparklings had begun to pipe up again, and began to crawl all over Jazz this time. At one moment he wished that his friend had rocket boosters to send _him _flying in the air if the sparklings discovers them. But, since he didn't, he still hat watch himself so that he wouldn't experience his flight again.

For the next hour, he and Jazz meditated. But Prowl was watchful of that sparklings, careful to keep them out of trouble or away from his boosters. Jazz kept them busy at moments, and then went back to meditating. Prowl was overjoyed to have the opportunity to watch over Fernblade's sparklings, but he knew that for certain, he couldn't do it alone. No bot could do it alone.

But that dreaded feeling still stirred inside him. He couldn't tell if it was a threat, or if it was even just his and Jazz's imaginations, but he knew for certain that it was there somewhere. But hopefully that evil won't be here any time soon.


	4. Chapter 4

**You Caught My Optics: Family**

By

Dragon with a Shotgun

**Yes! Prowl got a new dent to pound out of his head! :D Maybe he will get a few more dents as being a babysitter. :). Okay, I am running out of confidence of continuing this. I would like to see some more reviews, please! Thank you! If you have ideas of what could happen next, just let me know! Because I am actually having trouble with how to write it. If you would like to correct or suggest something that might improve this, please tell me. Thanks! Enjoy.**

**Chapter Four**

A few weeks had gone by since the Autobot team had arrived home from Cybertron, and Primus, were those weeks full of excitement! Fernblade's father had actually come to Earth from Cybertron having heard the news of his new grandchildren. When he had arrived and had gotten a glimpse of Accelerate and Reverse, never had Fernblade seen such joy in his optics as he held the sparklings in his very large hands. He had said that Reverse had reminded him of herself when she was born. But his stay hadn't been very long. He had to go back to work back on Cybertron, but not without having given her something that she had when she was little. A small blue toy that was able to transform into any shape or size you wanted, and even split into two pieces. Fernblade was grateful to have something that the sparklings could play with besides Ratchet's tools.

The Autobots, although a little new at first, grew used to having the sparklings around now, and enjoyed having them in their lives. Especially Optimus and Fernblade. The sparkmates couldn't be any happier. Their lives felt… complete now with Accelerate and Reverse in their lives. The sparklings added joy, more love, and even more happiness in their lives. Prowl's personality seemed to lighten up, and he spoke more and didn't keep to himself as much. Jazz stayed the same, but did focus more on his family than reading his tablets and video games. Bumblebee didn't change at all. He was still the same video game playing, speed thirsting, childish bot that he had always been. But he had grown onto the sparklings quickly.

Bulkhead stopped his love for art to help take care of the sparklings with the others. He corrected a lot of things that Bumblebee did, such as driving into the base, running in the base unless it was an emergency, and playing video games with a headset on. Basically anything that could affect the safety of the sparklings or anything that could distract him from the sparklings. Bumblebee was reluctant, but obeyed his friend and followed those new rules. Ratchet wasn't as grumpy as he usually was, and actually played with the sparklings whenever no one was looking. Although Fernblade caught him in the act once when the others were out on a call.

As for Optimus, he had changed ever since he had met Fernblade. And now, with new sparklings, he felt like a new mech. When he had fallen in love, he focused on nothing but Fernblade, and was really distracted. But… now that she had had sparklings, _his _sparklings, Primus the others almost didn't recognize him. He looked… prouder. He lost his normal pose of standing just plain straight. He held his head high, shoulders straight, and his chest bowed out. When he spoke, his voice was confident, and if they were having a conversation about something and someone wasn't listening, he'd raise his voice. Fernblade on the other hand had only changed along with her motherly instincts. She was more protective of her younglings and at times when offended, was snappy. The others knew that she never meant it, and forgave her afterwards.

In shorter words, ever since Fernblade became involved in their lives, the Autobots had become closer and closer as a family. And now with the sparklings involved in the equation, they were a true family. They all actually had roles to play. They weren't just a team now; they were a family that would sacrifice anything to protect each other.

It was another quiet Tuesday afternoon. No emergency calls on the radio, no calls from Captain Fanzone, nothing. It was almost boring. Bumblebee was playing his usual daily video games on the floor, Ratchet had gone to his room to take a nap, Optimus had gone out for a while to patrol the city along with Prowl, Bulkhead was taking a moment of freedom and peace to paint a picture, and Jazz was sitting on the couch watching Bumblebee. The sparklings were able to crawl around easily, and somehow knew where to go and where not to in the warehouse. They had grown used to their surroundings, and used them to their advantage whenever they were playing hide-and-seek or hiding from the adults whenever they needed to be checked on or something.

Jazz sat blankly as Bumblebee's character yet again died in a fight. The yellow bot had lost the game at least five times already, and he hadn't even beaten the third level. The game was getting very boring to Jazz, and also he was very bored with watching the yellow mech lose to the level every time. Jazz had beaten this game more than at least three times. He had grown bored of those kinds of games since they were usually too easy. But every now and then he'd play them but only when he went against Bumblebee in multiplayer.

The white mech sighed of boredom. This had been going on for more than an hour. But suddenly something tore him away from his zombie daze, like something touching his leg. He forced his gaze from the TV and smiled happily down at Reverse. Over the last few weeks they had found that Reverse was the more outgoing sibling of the two. Accelerate was more shy, and was only outgoing whenever he was with his sister and family.

"Hey there, giggle-box!" Jazz greeted, reaching down and picking her up. Accelerate was just behind her. "And to you, too, giggle-fits!" he added amusingly while also picking the boy up. He had given them their own nicknames, both starting with 'giggle' because whenever he played with them, they'd giggle and squeal with laughter. He was like their uncle, and lived as one. He loved taking care of the two, because it was so fun. Much more fun than watching Bumblebee lose to his video game all day.

Reverse clawed at his face, but it didn't hurt him, nor did she mean it to hurt. She did that a lot, almost like a habit. Accelerate sighed and snuggled against Jazz's white chest happily and starting to already fall into recharge. Jazz's thoughts bounced around in his processer.

_Ah, poor little guy. He just needed someone to hold him so that he could sleep. And Reverse just wanted somebody to hold her. Wonder why they didn't go to their mother? Where is Fernblade anyway?_

Jazz looked around, and saw who he was looking for peeking her head out from the hallway corner, wearing an amused and relieved smile as she watched him hug the sparklings.

_Huh, guess she needed a break._

The white mech smiled, and nodded at her. He knew that she was going to take a nap herself, needing time away from her children. She had been busy watching over the sparklings, and very wary about their safety. Being put under her own pressure wore her out, and he wasn't surprised to see that she needed time alone. So he didn't mind having the extra tiny company.

He leaned back and let the sparklings get settle on his chest before relaxing. He wrapped his arms around the sparklings to keep them warm and from falling off of him. He had become very protective of them recently, and now knew how to handle them without the fear of hurting them. Soon after a few minutes, with Bumblebee still struggling to win the game, the sparklings sleeping on his chest, and the peaceful silence of the warehouse, Jazz too fell into recharge.

Just around thirty minutes after he had fallen asleep, Optimus entered the base, and smiled at the small group huddle on the couch. It was actually kind of cute. Moments like that were rare, and whenever they happened, they were cherished for life. So not wanting to ruin the moment by waking Jazz or his children, Optimus smiled and quietly crept through the living room. He was about to step into the hallway when suddenly there was a loud beeping sound… and then the sound of sharp cries from the sparklings.

Jazz gasped and almost jumped out of his seat in fright, but remembering that Accelerate and Reverse were on his chest, he quickly froze on the spot. Once he got his thrumming spark into a steady rhythm again, he sighed and started to pat the siblings' backs in an attempt to calm them.

"Hey, shush, shush! It's okay, it's okay." He spoke as calmly as he could before looking over his shoulder at Optimus, who had frozen in his tracks. Optimus sighed and walked to the couch and patted the sparklings on the head. Their cries faded into tiny whimpers. After smiling softly at Jazz, who was still wired up about his unexpected wake-up call, he turned away and made his way toward the computer.

He opened the screen and a faced popped up. At first he had expected it to be Fernblade's father, Stampede. But when he saw the dark face and young features, he was lost for a moment.

"Uh… Are you Optimus Prime?" the young mech asked.

Optimus nodded unsurely. "Yes, I am. Who are you?"

The bot cleared his throat. "I am Sharpshooter, remember? I took care of your sparkmate, Fernblade when she was being held by the Elite Guard."

The memory came to the Prime instantly and he smiled warmly at Sharpshooter on the screen. "Ah, yes! I remember now. How can I help you, son?"

"Um… I was wondering if I could speak to Fernblade, sir. If she is available at this moment, I mean." Sharpshooter said flatly, almost too flatly. Optimus blinked for a second. He knew that Fernblade had gone to take a nap earlier, but wondered if he could leave a message. He was about to do so when Fernblade was suddenly at his side.

"I'm up… I was woken by the sparklings crying. Are they alright?" she asked before looking over her shoulder at Jazz, who had finally gotten the sparklings to go back into recharge. Jazz gave her a slow thumbs up before leaning back with a large sigh. Fernblade smiled and looked back at Sharpshooter before smiling brightly.

"Shooter, how are you?" she asked, her optics brightening.

Sharpshooter smiled confidently back. "I am fine. And… you?"

She nodded. "I'm alright. What do you need?"

He shrugged casually and grinned. "I just wanted to know if I could come and visit you guys for a while. The Elite Guard is letting workers and guards take vacation days to get away from their work. So I thought, hey, why not see how Earth's like and also with that, get to see a good friend of mine?"

Fernblade laughed heartily, and folded her arms across her chest. "I would love to see you again! Come on down if ya want. When ya thinking about arriving?"

Sharpshooter huffed and rubbed the back of his neck. "I'm actually kinda on my way right now. I ain't giving ya a choice."

Her optics widened for a moment in surprise, and she was left speechless for a moment. Was he THAT desperate to see her? But he was acting strange as well. He was happier than usual, but then again, they hadn't seen each other for a few weeks, and she missed him as well.

At her sudden silence, Sharpshooter blinked.

"Oh, is this a bad time?"

Fernblade snapped out of her thoughts and smiled. "No, no! It's great! Come on down."

Sharpshooter grinned and he nodded, Fernblade waved at him, and closed off the line.

On Sharpshooter's side, he was just cutting off the line. He watched as the screen went blank, and suddenly his reflection could be seen. His optics widened, and he leaned forward a little to observe himself. His optics dimmed, and an energon tear slipped down his cheek. He sighed, and slumped back into his seat.

Feeling something prod the back of his neck, he reached a hand behind his neck and felt a little device stuck to his wires. It was painful when he tried to pull it off, and was like what a human called a tick. But it wasn't any Cybertronian bug. It was a small device planted on him, to keep him under control, and acted like a camera. He hated it. He wanted to tear it off and crush it. But he couldn't. If he did so, he would die. Because it was connected to one of his energon veins. He looked up at his reflection again, and suddenly his armor became lighter and started to change shape, his optics turned red and looked predator-like, and he was filled with dread.

"Sharpshooter."

He looked down at his wrist devise. A small image of his master's face had appeared. He clenched his optics shut, and held them like that for a moment before answering Megatron's call.

"Yes…sir?"

"Did you make the call?"

Sharpshooter nodded reluctantly. "Yes."

"Good, good. When will you be leaving?"

He didn't want to answer any more questions. It put pressure on him and he looked away.

"Tomorrow."

"You said that you were on your way there, Sharpshooter." Another voice came through. Sharpshooter glared at his wrist device when another face appeared. It was Starscream with his smug grin. Starscream was the worst mech to be around. Not physically, but he was a blabber mouth. He kept on and on and on about how he was so successful with his missions while Sharpshooter was so hesitant. But Sharpshooter had reason to be hesitant. He didn't want to do this.

"Shut up, Scream!" Sharpshooter snapped, anger swelling in his chest.

Starscream's grin only widened. Sharpshooter was about to snap again when Megatron's voice broke in.

"Sharpshooter, you know that you-,"

"Stop calling me that."

"Calling you what, boy?"

"Sharpshooter," he mumbled, looking away. "It's not even my real name."

Megatron growled quietly, and then glared at the young mech through the screen on his end of the line. The young bot gulped and lowered his head. He knew he messed up big time, and knew that he would be punished greatly. But Megatron's expressions barely softened.

"Fine, Makeshift, then. Anyway, just do your job. And you'll be rewarded."

Suddenly Megatron cut the line, and Starscream's face disappeared to his relief. After Megatron was offline, he looked up and stared at his reflection. This was not the mech Fernblade knew, but he really wished that it wasn't him. This was not the Sharpshooter that took care of her when she was being held by the Elite Guard, this was not the Sharpshooter that became friends with her. The Sharpshooter he was wasn't real. He never existed. The stories about his father and mother, everything, weren't real. It was all made up. The thought stung him. He hated that he tricked Fernblade. He hated who he was.

This was not Sharpshooter.

This was Makeshift.

Makeshift was a shapeshifting young mech who wanted to be somebody. He didn't really want to take over the Elite Guard. He didn't want power. He didn't want to be invincible. He knew that those were all fake promises that Megatron had made. All Makeshift ever wanted… was to fit in. He had never fit it, because… he didn't know who to be. He didn't know who he really was. He was able to change into any mech or femme in the universe, much like how Shockwave could change his appearance. The problem was though, was that Makeshift didn't know _who _to be. That was why he had grown onto being Sharpshooter so much, because he made friends, he met femmes that liked him, he was able to be somebody.

"I'm so sorry, Fern… I really am…" With that, he suddenly started to turn back to normal. He was once again Fernblade's friend. He was Sharpshooter.

**I know, it was a short one this time. Sorry guys. Like I said, having trouble with how to write this. Hope you liked it though.**


	5. Chapter 5

**You Caught My Optics: Family**

By

Dragon with a Shotgun

**Chapter Five**

"Are you sure that it was alright for me to come and visit? I didn't catch you at a bad time, did I?"

Fernblade shook her head and waved her hand at him. "Of course it's alright if you visit us, Shooter! I've missed you anyway."

Sharpshooter smiled brightly at her as he walked beside her. He had just arrived to Earth in his travel ship and was greeted by Fernblade's happy smile. He was glad that he got to see her again, and much happier to be able to be away from Sentinel. He had already gone through the deep introductions with her family. He was really intimidated my Optimus, even worse than Sentinel. Sentinel was intimidating when he was angry and when he shouted. Optimus… although he wasn't as bulky as Sentinel, had that certain fire in his optics that sent shivers down Sharpshooter's body.

Anyway, they just walked into their home and he looked around curiously. The place looked nicer on the inside than it did on the outside. He froze for a moment, taking in his surroundings before he felt something touch his foot. He jerked and looked down before his optics widened slightly. Accelerate looked back up at him with large optics that looked as big at his head. Sharpshooter already knew the sparklings names, since Fernblade had introduced them earlier. He stared back down at the tiny sparkling, and didn't know what to do at that moment. This was the sparkling that he was supposed to take back to Megatron.

But… how was he supposed to do so? He couldn't just ask to take the sparkling back to Cybertron, or anywhere in that matter. He didn't want to hurt anybody, and he really didn't want to hurt Fernblade. But… he didn't know what to think.

Fernblade smiled at him as she sat down on the sofa with Optimus leaning over the back, but noticed that Sharpshooter was staring unsurely at her son at his feet. She smiled and tilted her head. "So what made you want to come to Earth for your vacation days?"

He snapped his head up from his thoughts almost in surprise, and made a crooked smile. "Oh, uh… just was curious of how it was like and stuff. You know. And also I wanted to see you guys again, since I've done so much for you, I might as well see y'all every now and then, right?"

She laughed, and nodded. "Guess you're right."

Bumblebee then placed his hands on his sides. "So when ya thinking about getting a earth mode?"

Sharpshooter blinked at the smaller, yellow mech. "Uh… a what?"

"He means when are you going to change your vehicle to the ones like on Earth." Bulkhead said while plopping down on the floor in front of the couch.

Sharpshooter then smiled and rubbed the back of his neck. "Oh, heh heh, Well, I'm really not going to be visiting as often. So… I don't see a point in trying to find a new vehicle mode anytime soon."

Bumblebee frowned for a moment, but then shrugged and sat beside Bulkhead on the ground. Sharpshooter had heard about Bumblebee's speed, and heard from Blurr that he tended to be a showoff whenever it came to that subject. But even with those turbo boosters, he knew that Blurr was the fasted bot in the universe. Boosters or not.

Feeling a little lost, Sharpshooter looked away for a moment, and the room became quiet. It was almost nerve racking. But he felt Accelerate at his feet, tapping his foot and grasping his armor as if wanting to be picked up. Now Reverse was behind him, staring up at him. He smiled warily, and bent down and picked the sparklings up in both arms. Accelerate giggled and put a hand on Sharpshooter's cheek while Reverse just leaned on his shoulder. He chuckled, and looked at Fernblade.

"Quite some friendly sparklings you got." He mused as now the sparklings looked at him brightly, but also thoughtfully. Were they thinking about something in those little head of theirs?

Fernblade nodded and smiled happily at him before wrapping her arms around Optimus's neck behind her. Optimus smiled and wrapped his arms around her.

"They're both very friendly. You should've seen them when they first got to see Captain Fanzone."

The Optimus had to catch himself before he started laughing, and placed a fist up to his mouth. The others just began to laugh out loud, Bumblebee rolling on the floor laughing with Bulkhead, Ratchet chuckling behind the couch and Prowl smiling amusingly at the memory. When the sparklings had been introduced to the Captain, they literally crawled on top of him, and the Autobots had to carefully pry them off. It was hilarious, and one of the best memories that they had made. Well, at least Captain Fanzone didn't mind it afterward… much.

Sharpshooter blinked slowly, confused. "Uh… who is Captain Fanzone?"

Fernblade shrugged. "He's kind of like our boss. Or at least Optimus's and the others' anyway. He calls us whenever we are needed on a call or something."

Having understood, he nodded and couldn't help but chuckle when Accelerate grabbed his face with both hands and was looking him in the optics. Sharpshooter was about to take his hands off and considered taking them to Fernblade, but something big happened. The sparklings' optics began to glow brightly, and Sharpshooter felt a tingly sensation in his head and body. Suddenly Sharpshooter didn't see Fernblade and her family, he didn't see the inside of the base, he didn't even see the sparklings that were right in front of his face, literally.

He was inside the ship at the Elite Guard again, in the hallway. He looked down at himself. He was his Sharpshooter self, but something didn't feel right. He looked in front of him, and gasped. It was… him. He saw himself walking down the hall beside Ironhide, just like they did on daily patrols when Ironhide had nothing better to do. He and Ironhide were walking right toward him! And then… they walked right _through _him. He patted his chest, panicked at first, and then spun around and watched as he and Ironhide walked around a corner of the hallway. Did… they not see him?

Confused, Sharpshooter looked around. He didn't know what was happening. He was almost scared. He chose to follow Ironhide and himself. He jogged to catch up and found himself and Ironhide speaking with Sentinel. He listened to what they were saying.

"Sharpshooter, you will be watching over Fernblade while she stays here. Ironhide, you will remain with your patrols without him whenever he is busy."

Sharpshooter's optics widened. This was when Sentinel had informed him of his new job, and he had mat first met Fernblade! Was… he in the past? Where exactly was he?

Suddenly the world changed. He was back in the present, holding the sparklings again and looking at Fernblade and the others, who were talking amongst themselves. Just as that image came, he was in a different place again! This time he was in Megatron's courters. He again saw himself, but as Makeshift. Starscream was standing at Megatron's right and Slipstream was standing at his left, both wearing evil faces as they gazed at himself as Makeshift. He was talking to Megatron, and holding Accelerate in his arms. He looked to the right, and saw something that made his chest tighten and he almost choked on the ball that formed in the back of his throat.

It was a machine with needle looking tools, and many other tools that looked sharp and dangerous. There was a large screen above it, and right below the screen was a tiny seat that was just the size of Accelerate. Sharpshooter's throat was clogged, or felt like it anyway.

How could he do this? How could he do this to a sparkling who knew nothing of the world, and… after having been used by the Decepticons, would possibly be killed? He felt dizzy, and the tingly sensation came back. Then before anything else, he was brought right back to the present. He blinked, seeing both of the sparklings still staring at him with large optics. He let his optics look past them, and sighed in relief when the others were still sitting together talking about things that had been going on.

He felt guilt again grip his chest. He felt it tighten and strangle him. He didn't want to hurt the sparklings. They were too young to understand, and didn't deserve to be used for Decepticon purpose. He thought for a moment. A very long moment. He moved his gaze to the others, and saw how happy they were. They had something that he had never had before. They had something that he always wanted. They had something that he'd probably never have. They had a family.

But if he wanted to be somebody, and if wanted to live as one person instead of many, then he had to take the sparkling. He had to. He was scared of doing it, though. How was he supposed to do it? How was he going to? But then he remembered the little pouch on his side. It held a gas bomb similar to what humans used when they wanted to blur a person's view of their surroundings. But this gas, although Cybertronians didn't need to breath, flowed into one's mind and caused fatigue and knocked out any Cybertronian that breathed it.

He sighed, and looked at the others again, now with more confidence. He slid Reverse into the same arm with Accelerate, and reached for his side.

"Shooter? Are you okay?"

He looked at Fernblade, and nodded lightly before unhooking the ring on the gas bomb.

"Yes, and uh… Fern?" When she looked up at him curiously, he looked down.

"I'm so sorry."

"What?"

He didn't answer back. He took the gas bomb out from his side, and threw it on the floor in the middle of the group. They all shifted in shock at first, and then they all suddenly jumped out of their seats, Optimus grabbed Fernblade abruptly and held her close.

"Bomb!"

Before anybody else had a moment to act, the bomb went off, sending smoke everywhere and clouding the room. Sharpshooter put one of his hands on both of the sparklings' mouths at the same time, and turned around before beginning his walk out of the room. All the while, he heard Fernblade and the others coughing, and the sparklings beginning to cry in his arms.

**Hey, I know it was very short, but I am growing old of this story. If you like it and want me to continue, I am sorry. I will probably continue it sometime during the future, but for now, I will let it off my mind and start on some other stories. Thank you for reading and reviewing on this. It has been a good run, as a friend of mine has said, but I think I need to write something new for now. Thank you all! But don't forget, I MIGHT continue this in the future. Think of this as a possibly very long cliffhanger. XD**


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